Illinois Public Media News

A year of crazy weather here in Illinois affected agriculture, which is just wrapping up. The 21st with two Illinois farmers about this year's harvest.

Farming is a physically demanding job, no matter your body type. Women, however, are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to farming equipment.So women are taking the challenge in hand and creating tools that work for this growing group of farmers.

With more than a half million COVID-19 cases already, health leaders say infections across Illinois are growing exponentially. The 21st spoke to reporters across the state for the latest. 

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to create a crossword puzzle in The New York Times, we’ll hear about that process from a University of Illinois student who’s had puzzles published there and in the Wall Street Journal.

The 21st talks to political commentator and Champaign native George Will, who says “the American project is more battered than at any time” since the Civil War. He says the crisis is rooted in a public that’s “evenly divided by mutual incomprehension.”